Seasonal variation of surf zone hyperbenthos associated with penaeid shrimp larvae at Ecuadorian sandy beaches
Ruiz Xomchuk, V. (2004). Seasonal variation of surf zone hyperbenthos associated with penaeid shrimp larvae at Ecuadorian sandy beaches. MSc Thesis. University of Gent: Gent. 24 pp.
A first attempt to quantify and describe the hyperbenthic assemblage of the surf zone of several Ecuadorian sandy beaches was done. Sampling campaigns were carried out quarterly from August 1999 till February 2002. The structure of the hyperbenthic community, focusing on the Penaeidea, was examined to detect seasonal responses in three structurally different sandy beaches: a bay, and two exposed sandy beaches of which one under the influence of a river plume. Both exposed beaches showed a parallel seasonal response in density with maximal abundances in the transitional months between the warm-wet and cold-dry season. A maximal diversity occurred in the warmest months (February). Also multivariate analysis separated the February months from the rest of the samples, but showing a large interannual variation. The bay displayed an opposite trend in density and represented a specific community composition. A seasonal variation in diversity or composition was not obvious here. For all three beaches the biodiversity indices remained constant over the seasons, but the high overall species richness per station indicated a mayor species turnover throughout the sampling period.
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